Language | FactMonster

Ask The Fact MonsterMore Questions

Language

What is the name of the "@" symbol? We know "&" is an ampersand but "@" eludes us. Can you help?
I have had a unsuccessful search for the origin of the abbreviation "lbs." which is used for pounds. What does it stand for, and where did it come from?
I searched and found the ACT website, which is what we took in high school. However, the ACT site didn't say what ACT stands for.
I've always thought that the only sentence that uses all the letters of the alphabet was "The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog." Is there another one?
What do the abbreviations am or pm (as in time) stand for?
Is there a word that designates a 50th anniversary in the same way that sesquicentennial means a 150th?
What does "auld lang syne" actually mean?
Why is New York City called the Big Apple?
What's a Black Maria?
I was doing a project on the state of California and I was wondering what the all the different languages spoken in California are?
Where does the name California come from?
Where and when did the term "CARE PACKAGE" originate?
What does "caveat emptor" mean?
What is the term that refers to the study of memory and learning? I can't find it the Dictionary of Psychology, and my brain is unable to recall it. Thanks!
Please help me find a word spelled similar to adelpated that means absent-minded, scatter-brained, or forgetful. I've heard the word used but never seen it in print.
What does the Latin abbreviation C.V. mean ?
What does the "D" in D-Day stand for?
Your information about the menorah and hannukiah is mistaken. A hannukia has 9 branches and its ninth branch is the shamash. A menorah only has 7 branches.
Where did the dollar sign originate?
What is the name of the dots on a pair of dice called?